


Mystic Halloween

by OtomeHime (Kosho)



Category: Mystic Messenger (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Creatures & Monsters, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Magic, Costume Parties & Masquerades, Fantasy, Full Moon, Halloween, Japanese Mythology & Folklore, Magic, Multiple Pairings, Mythical Beings & Creatures, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Canon, Rating May Change, Tags Are Fun, Tags May Change, Warnings May Change
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-19
Updated: 2016-11-05
Packaged: 2018-08-23 09:28:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,696
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8322655
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kosho/pseuds/OtomeHime
Summary: The RFA decides to have a private Halloween party, and it's Eun-hee's job to make sure everyone is happy with the planning, while trying to hide her most important secret, unaware that the others are harboring them too.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I love mythology, and I really wanted an excuse to do something Halloween-themed, with it approaching. I'm honestly not sure what will happen yet, so there may be smut, or very close to it, or maybe it will all go smoothly without, I'm not set on anything, but if there is, there will be a warning both on the chapter, and the end of the one before it.

Months had passed since the successful first RFA party held by the new organizer, Eun-hee. Still riding on the wave of happiness after, the group had gathered together. It was a rare moment when all of the members were free from other obligations, marked by Jumin’s insistence that they go somewhere nice to celebrate. Yoosung had been the one to bring the subject up in the first place, and it was met with varying degrees of hesitation, played off as concern for their poor, exhausted party planner. 

 

“Y’know...Halloween is coming up. Why don’t we have a party? Not like an RFA party, but a fun party?” he suggested. 

 

“How very childish. Leave it to a kid to suggest such a thing.” Jaehee sighed with irritation. “I have a million things to do as it is.” 

 

“I’m always more than willing to entertain. Count me in.” Zen said, reclining against his chair. 

 

“Sure. I can probably get free from work for a day. I know a nice place out by the river that would be great.” Seven added, glancing up from his phone. 

 

“It might be worth it. Assistant Kang and I will attend.” Jumin confirmed. 

 

“Mr. Han… we have a lot of work to get done, I just said this…” Jaehee protested. 

 

“I’m concerned though. There’s just under two weeks until Halloween. Assuming our cute party planner is going to be taking care of it, wouldn’t that just stress her out, preparing everything so quickly?” Zen asked then. 

 

“Well, it is more than the week she was given before. She did well then, if it’s mostly just us, why wouldn’t she be able to pull it off? If it’s that big of a deal, why doesn’t she spend a little time with each of us and we can all contribute ideas for it?” Seven mumbled, back in his phone again. 

 

Yoosung stared at her hopefully, eyes shining with eagerness and excitement. “What do you say? Please?” 

 

Pulling out her phone, she discreetly navigated to an app, looking it over apprehensively. Maybe it wouldn’t be a problem if she didn’t go outside, the others finding out her secret in such a way could really only lead to problems. Slipping it back in her pocket, she gave a small shrug, kneading the back of her neck. “Sure, why not. All I have to do for now is spend time with everyone and figure out what you want?” 

 

Giving a hasty nod, Yoosung confirmed it, beaming happily. “That’s all! So you’ll do it, right?” 

 

“Alright, I guess that’s fine. It’s not like I have plans for Halloween either…” she muttered. 

 

Thus the planning for the Halloween party were set to begin, though she had no idea who to begin with, or what kind of secrets the others were keeping from her, much like she kept hers from them. Halloween was a night of magic, mystery and on occasion, trouble. Though it could also be a time of wonder and endless fun, too. Really though, as much as she wished it would be fun, the sense of apprehension nesting in the pit of her stomach promised no such delights, only more challenges than she was sure she could handle. 


	2. Jaehee

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eun-hee meets with Jaehee first, as the one she considers 'safest' in the group. A surprise meeting with Jumin afterwards has her concerned about meeting him, and so it's decided she'll delay meeting him privately for a bit.

Jaehee was the only other woman in the group, easiest to be around her first. Her character was still undecided, and it was too easy to be tempted wrongly by men, especially human men. So far, the last few months, she had done an admirable job of resisting their advances, but having to interact in a one-on-one setting, she feared what could come from her if she didn’t take a measured approach to this job. This was a corporate building, she wanted to at least look somewhat professional. For that reason, she acquired a somewhat formal business suit, her waist-sweeping hair, a strange mix of gold and silver, tinged with white kept up in a folded ponytail. Standing in front of the door to her office, she knocked quietly, bowing politely when it was opened. 

 

“Good morning, Jaehee. Thank you for having me over.” she said cheerfully. 

 

Wow, she definitely didn’t look well, dark circles under her eyes, the shades drawn in the room. Jaehee backed away from the door to let her in, gesturing to the chair next to her desk, a luxurious armchair that definitely didn’t match the treatment she usually complained about in chat. 

 

“If you’re wondering, it’s new.” she sighed. “Mr. Han heard you were stopping by and made sure you had somewhere comfortable to work.” her voice dropped lower, exhausted. “I wish he would consider me half as much as he did for you. Ugh…” 

 

The woman’s stomach rumbled, equally alarming to her as it was to Eun, who quickly rummaged in the heavy lacquered box on her lap, pulling back a tray from the top, holding it out in offering. 

 

“You’re hungry! You haven’t had breakfast yet, have you?” she frowned. “It’s just rice, I’m sorry, but you can have it, I don’t want you to starve…” 

 

Jaehee held her hand up, ready to refuse, but her mouth watered at the sight of the otherwise plain rice, accepting it with a bob of her head and a hasty ‘thanks’, turning away to eat and work at the same time. Digging for something to eat with, the drawer slid shut, her finger going with it. Glancing back to make sure the girl wasn’t looking, she rolled her eyes, fishing the digit from the drawer, pressing it back into place tightly. Making sure to completely distract from the issue, just in case, she cleared her throat. 

 

“So, you’re here to see what I think would help for the Halloween party?” she verified. 

 

“Oh, not just what you think would help, but what you want. I really want to make sure it works well for everyone.” she said quietly. 

 

She stared at her for a few moments, watching her scoop out some rice and squeeze it into a pure white sphere, before biting into it, bits of rice escaping and clinging to the corners of her mouth, her tongue darting out to swipe them away. This girl seemed far too carefree for this job, but she had proven herself already, and that was enough. 

 

“W...well, if I might make a few selfish requests… it would be that the temperature could be kept fairly cool. I don’t like hot places, and it can be uncomfortable. Also...I mean, I know it’s not a widely appreciated dish, but I hear that in some places, calf brains are a delicacy. If it isn’t too strange, I’d like to try that.” she mumbled, pressing her glasses up the bridge of her nose. 

 

Eun-hee fished in her pocket for a notepad and a pen, scribbling notes as she went. The mention of brains wasn’t to her liking, but it wasn’t something that would be hard to get. Giving up on the utensil search, Jaehee mimicked her actions before, scooping up the rice into her hands and balling it up, too hungry to care at that moment. She sighed in dismay as her pinky dislodged, retrieving it and putting it back in place. 

 

“That’s fine, I can do that! Haha, you like it cool too? My sister, well, she’s adopted, but still my sister, she really likes it cold. The type who loves winter. I don’t mind any weather, I can always keep warm.” Eun-hee said with a smile. 

 

“Ah. Well, I can’t say I like freezing weather. I also don’t like sweltering heat though. Mr. Han also seems to share your sentiments on the temperature, however. I don’t quite understand it, myself.” she said. 

 

Shifting her food to one side, she examined her hand, deciding it was clean enough to avoid messing up her paperwork, hunched over her desk to work on reports while they spoke. The overpowering scent of incense filled the room for the second time since she arrived, much stronger than most humans preferred it, and with her heightened sense of smell, it was even more of an intimidating smell, though she decided against bringing it up. Perhaps it was her that was the cause. She had chosen a fairly deep smelling perfume that morning to cover up the smell that a few humans who were very perceptive could pick up on, worried that she might be one such person, since Jaehee was awfully smart. 

 

“Is there anything else that you can think of that you think would help, or that you might like?” she asked. 

 

“Only if you could somehow convince Mr. Han to stop adding ridiculous projects to my workload, and ask him when you seem him to not bring his cat to my house…” she sighed. 

 

Cats made the hair on the back of her neck stand up, but at the very least, it wasn’t a dog. Dogs were awful things, and she was simply glad that he didn’t own one. Hell, if it got this party off without a hitch, she’d even be willing to watch it for a while if she had to. She chuckled nervously, but gave an agreeable nod. 

 

“I’ll do my best, but I can’t promise those things…” she said apologetically. 

 

“Don’t feel too badly. No one can. He’s stubbornly insistent about these things and doesn’t tend to change his mind once he makes it.” she muttered with a sigh. 

 

The sun was beating through the shades now, and Jaehee cast an uncomfortable glare towards the window, her attitude shifting suddenly, almost panicked, the scent of fear rising noticeably above the incense, a delicious smell, and one she had to keep in check, her eyes fluttering slightly. 

 

“Ah. Please excuse me, I have a mountain of work to see to, so if you wouldn’t mind. Thank you for the food, I look forward to the party.” she said formally. 

 

_ Thank the goddess. _ Eun-hee hastily rose from the comfortable seat, bowing again, politely hurrying to the door once more.

 

“Thank you for seeing me, Jaehee. If you think of anything else, please don’t hesitate to text or call. I should return home anyway, I’ll set myself to make sure I can reserve the lodging Seven mentioned, and work on sourcing the appetizers and securing a way to keep it cool enough. Try to take care of yourself!” she said before disappearing through the door.

 

When it closed, Jaehee heaved a sigh of relief, turning on a few fans scattered around the office in the hopes of stemming the rising heat. 

“That was too close…” she mumbled under her breath. 

 

Normally more aware of her surroundings, in her rush to beat the uncomfortable urges that swam up in her mind, she hadn’t noticed, bumping into someone on her way for the door out, glancing up nervously. Jumin looked down to her, steadying her.

 

“In a hurry?” he asked. 

 

“Oh...I’m so sorry for that. Yes, I just met with Jaehee, and I was on my way home to get started on this.” she murmured. 

 

His mouth twitched, and she wasn’t sure, but she could have sworn he was  _ almost _ smiling. His eyes flicked down to the box in her hands, then back to her eyes, an unusual and alluring shade of red. She nervously licked at her lips, accidentally looking into his eyes in return, noticing for the first time just how exquisite they were. His eyes closed for a moment, he had such long lashes for a man, his eyes were intriguing, like polished jewels, and looking away seemed like an impossible task.

 

“You could come by my office. I’m not too busy to talk with you right now.” he said. 

 

Her mind must have gone elsewhere, his tone was never that sultry before, and she was sorely tempted to take him up on his offer. Closing her eyes for a moment, she swore she felt his hand brush against her cheek, surprisingly soft, like brushing silk against her face, and her breath puffed out slowly. Her thoughts clouded up, and she took an unsteady step towards him, against her wishes. A voice called out to him then, and she shook her head, wondering what she was still doing there.

 

“Mr. Han, there you are! Your meeting is about to start in a few minutes.” the man told him. 

 

His expression turned almost sour, drawing a hand to his hip. “Fine, I’ll be there in a bit.” 

 

Turning back to her, his hand came to rest between her shoulders, her spine tingling at the sensation. 

 

“I was mistaken. I am apparently busy after all. Allow me to walk you out, I’ll call sometime to let you know when my schedule clears enough for this discussion.” he said. 

 

“O...of course, I’ll be happy to discuss the party when you’re free.” she said quietly. 

 

She allowed herself to be guided out, returning to the road to wait for a taxi. Her small home wasn’t terribly far, but enough that she didn’t care to walk there. Besides, it would give her enough time to figure out what the hell happened. She wasn’t like other people, and by all rights, she definitely shouldn’t be susceptible to a human’s charms like that. Not so strongly, anyway, she had thoroughly resisted for months, even at the party, engaging in lengthy conversations with the others with successfully delivered disinterest, even though it had been a struggle. Pressing a cool palm to her brow, she heaved a sigh, entering the cab that stopped finally, giving the address before falling silent. 

 

This was really turning out to be a terrible idea. Though it did give her an idea for who to visit next, the completely non-threatening Yoosung. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm trying to be super secret about all this. I'm a bit excited though, so I'll just say that Jaehee is a Zombie. she has it pretty well handled for the most part. 
> 
> Yoosung may be verging on smutty, so the next chapter may be iffy.


	3. Predator's Sense

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The meeting with Yoosung takes a dangerous turn, revealing both his and her true nature.
> 
> -Minor mature content warning. No smut, but nearing it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, minor mature content warning.

The scratching of her pen on the paper was all he could hear. Her lips curled into the type of grin that made Yoosung absolutely certain she was holding back laughter. A girl like her would definitely think his request for cute decorations and nothing too scary was more than a little childish. She hadn’t said anything about it, but it was like it was scrawled plainly across her face. 

 

“I’m not a kid, you know.” he huffed finally, his chest puffing with pride. 

 

Her eyes shifted from the paper back to him, her expression softening a little. “I know.” 

 

“I haven’t been in a girl’s house before. Your place is so nice and clean…” he mumbled, changing the subject. 

 

The eye contact made his heart race, a wave of anxiety flooding through him. She set the pen down, shrugging once, reaching to draw the edge of her robes back up her shoulder where they had slipped, seeking to save his nerves unnecessary shock. He really was almost too cute for his own good. By human recollection, he was a year older, but in her own history, she was probably hundreds of years older, not failing to notice the subtle signs that he largely ignored. Whenever he thought she wasn’t paying attention, he stared at her, glancing away again the minute she glanced his way. He was uncomfortable being so close to her, though it was hard to say if it was simply because she was a girl, or whether he could just sense what she was and it frightened him. If it was that, he had every reason to be afraid. As much as she dreamed of becoming a pure, ascended being, that was still hundreds of years off, and every day brought new challenges in maintaining the fragile balance between light and dark. Pressing her loosely curled fingertips to her lips in thought, she looked his way once more, raising her pen yet again. 

 

“Was there anything else you wanted? For the record, I’m absolutely saying no to games, a party should be fun because of the people there, not because it has something that means you can run off and ignore everyone.” she stated. 

 

“Ugh...fine. No games, I get it…” he whimpered. “So...what about candy apples? Can we have those?” 

 

“Candy apples? I suppose that’s easy enough to get. I’ll order a bunch, I...might actually want one too…” she admitted. 

 

Her attention crossed the room, the last curls of ashen grey flicked from her incense, a nostalgic cherry scent that kept her mind peaceful, her instincts dulled. Frowning a bit, she sighed, preparing to stand to replace it, until his fingers curled around her wrist loosely. Looking to him, she raised an eyebrow curiously. 

 

“What’s wrong?” she asked quietly. 

 

Normally, she might have stayed put, not minding the distraction, but this was a critical situation. Whether he realized it or not, his situation was becoming more and more dangerous every second that passed without her lighting a fresh one, her focus splitting off in different directions slowly. 

“Oh...I just thought, if you needed something, I could get it for you. I want to try and do better at making your job less stressful this time around.” he mumbled. 

 

Her eyes fixated on his, slowly drifting across his face, observing with only a nod. He  _ was _ nervous. A bead of sweat rolled over his forehead, his lip trapped between his teeth, pulse thumping faster in his throat, his hands jittery. Against her better judgment, she relented. 

 

“Sure, there’s some snacks on the counter, if you want to bring those out, that would be helpful.” she sighed. 

 

Yoosung stood quickly, disappearing into the kitchen. Out of view, her eyes drooped shut, inhaling slowly to draw it out. This was a smell she recognized, thin traces of fear, laced with the intoxicating smell of prey. Whatever he was, it  _ definitely  _ wasn’t human after all, the strong aroma of the incense dampening it enough until now that she hadn’t been able to tell. Even so, her senses hadn’t returned enough to identify just what he was. Maybe it would be better to send him off before the situation turned against her. That thought grew weak in her mind when he returned, more details coming into view. His temperature had raised just a little, nervously licking his lips, his eyes darting about rapidly, his nose wiggling with apprehension.  _ Wiggling nose... _ some kind of rabbit spirit? No wonder…

 

Yoosung quietly sat back down, placing the tray in the center of the table, staring out between the thin slits in the blinds, trying to see out the window. He froze, sensing her behind him, cool breath sweeping along his neck. 

 

“Hahaha…” he laughed awkwardly, unsure how to react. “What are you doing?” 

 

Her tongue darted out and back in so quickly, he wasn’t sure if he imagined it or not, running a single finger along his throat, her words whispered hungrily against his ear.

 

“Are you scared, little rabbit?” she asked. 

 

An agitated whimper escaped, turning slightly towards her, still nervous about what he might see if he did. 

 

“R...rabbit?” he repeated. 

 

When he turned, she swept over him quickly, his arms pinned down, stretched on either side. The look in her eyes, or maybe her eyes themselves very different from what they had been like. She sat against his hips, her legs gripping his in place firmly, bending down again, nipping at his neck, forcing herself to hold back from seriously hurting him, though she couldn’t deny it was hard not to. 

 

“You can’t fool me. I know what you are...my eyes may trick me, but my nose doesn’t lie…” she huffed. 

 

“Th-then you know already?” he mumbled. 

 

Her tongue slid against his neck once more, before she bit harder, a deep red bruise forming when she backed away, yelping with a jolt of his hips. He was trying to throw her off, at least, that was how it seemed to her. 

 

“I know. I’m trying so hard not to eat you right now…” she growled. 

 

“P...please don’t!” he sobbed. 

 

Leaning her weight against him so he couldn’t wiggle away, she drew his arm up, pulling his sleeve back, mouthing the delicate skin at his wrist, nibbling, sucking gently, a pleased moan his reaction this time. His heart pounded loudly, straining his fingers in her grip, reaching for her hair, managing to snag a lock, though he didn’t pull, it had the feel of genuine curiosity, and it made her laugh. 

 

“Even at a time like this, you’re such a curious thing.” she told him. 

 

She let his hands go finally, both disappearing into her hair, tumbles of gold and silver slipping from the ribbon holding it in place, before his fingers traced her face slowly, like he was mapping her face by touch, pausing at her lips until she snapped at his fingers teasingly, chuckling appreciatively at his intimidated response. 

 

“What are you?” he wondered, more to himself than to her. 

 

She raised a hand, flicking her wrist, the strings on the blinds pulled taut, but not enough to raise them yet. 

 

“If I let you see, you can’t tell anyone. I won’t hold back next time. I’ll hunt you down and steal your soul for my dinner…” she threatened. 

 

Yoosung swallowed hard, but nodded, somewhat more afraid of her moving and discovering his current state, which was to say, despite the danger, and the varied amounts of physical pain, he was, honestly, more than a little excited, and the way she was seated put a strangely soothing pressure against him. 

 

Pulling her hand back, they came up, the window and the view to the outside unobscured. Moonbeams filtered through, barely grazing her skin. Coming back down, she nipped at his ear, exhaling slowly, delighted with the way he shivered at the simple action. He squeezed his eyes closed tightly, trying to block out the way it felt to have her move so casually against him, opening his eyes nervously when she stilled, following the stray locks of hair up, stopping at the top of her head, two silver ears atop her head, tufts of gold gathered at the base of each. He tried to turn to look past her, licking his lips, now too dry. Saving him the trouble, her hips shifted slightly to the left, an involuntary groan bubbling up in his throat. Brought into view were thick tails waving sinuously behind her. Curious, he reached to touch one, though she gripped his wrist tighter this time. 

 

“Don’t. Unless you like risking death or eternal curses. It’s not smart to touch the tails of foxes.” she warned sternly. 

 

“Fox...you’re...a kumiho?” he asked. 

 

She nodded once, her mouth pressed against his neck, teeth scraping slowly, biting a little harder this time. Letting up, she shook her head slowly, quickly rising off him, his legs immediately clenching together, hoping she hadn’t noticed anything strange. 

 

“Tell no one. Remember that. You need to get out now, or I might not be able to resist anymore.” she said, coldly turning away from him. 

 

He took the opportunity, rushing for the door, stopping just before opening it. “Y’know. I think you believe I’m just any old bunny. You’re wrong.” 

 

Casting a partially curious glance over her shoulder, he didn’t elaborate, pointing a finger upward. It made sense now. He really wasn’t a simple spirit, he was  _ the freaking moon bunny. _ Maybe that was what made it so hard to ignore him and focus solely on her job. Without another word, he disappeared from view. Well, she probably didn’t have to worry about him telling anyone else, if he wasn’t human, and she wasn’t either, revealing it to anyone else would just bring unwanted attention. Still though, to lose her control so easily that she actually put his life in danger was more than a little disconcerting. That was half the reason she had never given in and pursued a relationship with anyone in the group, the desire to be pure so she could become a celestial being was half the drive, the other half was the fear that her hold on herself would snap and she would hurt someone. 

 

Two down, that was good. What wasn’t good is that left her with the three most challenging members left. Seven being so busy all the time would be hardest to meet with, and Zen was both busy at the least convenient times, and completely charming. Jumin would be easier to meet with, but there was still something troubling her about their brief encounter after meeting with Jaehee.  _ Something _ had happened, something very strange, and it was troubling that she didn’t know just what it was...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jumin and Zen's chapters will absolutely contain similar content. Will put warnings as necessary.
> 
> Also, notes for this chapter: Yoosung is indeed supposed to be the rabbit in the moon, and Eun-hee is a mix of lore from the Huli Jing/Kumiho and Kitsune, but is exclusively referred to as a Kumiho for the sake of simplicity. Again, Jaehee is a Zombie. Everyone has specific functions, based on their personalities and talents/interests etc.


	4. Zen's List

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eun-hee goes to see Zen

After the incident with Yoosung, Eun-hee thought it best to meet during the day. That was when her senses were the dullest, and her powers, their weakest. In short, it was the safest time for all involved. She quietly pulled her hands into her sleeves, blocking out the slight chill in the air while waiting for her ride. It wasn’t that the air was cold, only that her sister had left minutes earlier, and the bitter cold still lingered. Humans didn’t use magic, so she had to try and warm up normally, a difficult task for someone used to doing it in an instant.  There was still something not right about Jumin that she was trying to work out before she chanced a meeting with him directly. Seven had spoken to her over the phone, saying only that he wanted the location he had indicated, and he needed nothing else. Although he added that if she saw fit, he wanted cucumbers, which struck her as odd, considering the only things he seemed to like was junk food. 

 

Zen had been more than willing to clear his schedule to meet her. The taxi pulled to a stop when it arrived, and she quickly scurried into the back, closing the door. She gave the address he had provided, returning to her thoughts when the cab pulled away. All that was left was getting ahold of V to see if he would be joining them for the party, but even now, she didn’t have his number. Seven had told her he would do his best to get ahold of him and that he’d pass it on to Jumin also, to have him call as well. Doubled efforts and whatnot, she didn’t particularly think it would do much besides causing two people to try and bother him. There was something strange about him too, even at the party, he had been strangely absent for the better part of it, although they had plenty of time to talk together. V was supposed to be very close to the other members, but it was like he was trying to avoid them. It had felt almost like a small blessing to be around him so much even though she barely knew him. 

 

One thing was for sure, even if she couldn’t piece together the eerie feeling nesting in her chest, there was more going on with the RFA than just what she had seen. Which to now had consisted of nearly being kidnapped, a bomb in that strange apartment, an absent leader, and now the least suspicious member turned out to be the moon bunny. That alone seemed so obvious she wondered how she missed it in the first place, but there was an unusual look in his eyes when he left. A look that made her wonder what else was being kept from her even now. The cab stopped again, and she paid before getting out, staring at the door to Zen’s home in silence, not yet approaching. What exactly was she in for now? He made a lot of mentions to beasts and men being wolves, was that supposed to be a cryptic hint? Was he actually a wolf that might try to eat her if she went in there? Not that she cared, even at her lowest point like this, she still had enough power to fend off any attempt to make her into a midday snack.

 

Steeling herself, she approached the door, knocking. Zen called out, and the sound of his steps grew louder before he stood in the doorway, gently reaching for her hand, pulling her in. The door closed behind her, taking a seat where he indicated, grabbing her notepad, intent on getting right to work. 

 

“You’ve only just got here, does it have to be all work right off? Can’t we talk a little?” he sighed. 

 

Really, she didn’t want to stay any longer than needed. Though the look on his face was too hard to refuse. Reluctantly, she set it down, nodding once. 

 

“I suppose that’s the courteous thing to do. What do you want to talk about?” she asked apprehensively. 

 

He wandered to the kitchen before coming back out, setting a can in front of her with a smile. “Well, anything. I want to know more about you. What have you been up to? I feel like we don’t get to talk as much as I want to.” 

“You know what I’ve been up to. We just saw each other a few days ago, and even if we hadn’t, you do call just about...what, twice a day? And then we talk in the messenger…” she mumbled. “Other than that, I’ve just been taking care of my home. My sister recently started a job, so it’s been just me.” 

 

He nodded while she spoke, giving her his full attention in a way that she wasn’t used to. Still, something felt out of place, but it wasn’t like she could pinpoint it. Those like her were said to have hyper-accurate psychic abilities, enough to know what was going on a thousand miles in any direction, but regrettably, her skills in that area were horrible. It was a very spotty skill, and if she knew anything a thousand miles anywhere, it was completely by chance. Perhaps if she focused everything on him, she might get lucky and figure something out. The idea of devoting so much attention to anyone at all made her anxious though. 

 

“Really? I don’t think she came to your last party, will she be joining you this time?” he asked pleasantly. 

 

“Oh. I haven’t exactly asked. I will ask when I see her next. She doesn’t like social affairs much, people complain that she’s too cold.” she told him honestly. 

 

Oh, it surely had nothing to do with her personality, that was genuinely the warmest thing about her. The near constant layer of frost and the occasional drifts of snow that piled up in the house when she was there didn’t bother her though. Thanks to her skill with fire magic, it wasn’t hard to keep warm, so the house could be frosted in thick ice for all she cared. 

 

“That isn’t a nice thing to say about a lady. If she’s anything like you, I’m sure she’s perfectly charming.” he said. 

 

“No doubt. She’s a great girl, but she really does have the coldest hands I’ve ever felt. That’s no lie.” she laughed. 

 

His eyes fell to her hands then, smiling brighter. It made her nervous, though she couldn’t say why. 

 

“I never really looked before, but now that we’re on that subject, you have such small, delicate hands.” he explained. 

 

She lifted them to look, shrugging slightly. “They’re not that small, I think. Girls aren’t supposed to have large hands.” 

 

If they looked strange, perhaps it was time for a change, but that was something to consider later. 

 

“That’s true enough. So…” he began, leaning back in his chair, grinning broadly now. “If I tell you what I want for this party, you won’t leave right away, will you?” 

 

Eun-hee frowned at the question. Truthfully, she had meant to leave after discovering what he wanted, but being called on it, and combined with the wide, sad eyes he stared at her with, she couldn’t really help but change her mind. It made her feel almost guilty about it. 

 

“I...I won’t go if you don’t want me to, as long as I’m not in the way.” she mumbled. 

 

“Good. Stay awhile, I’ll make dinner...we can talk a little while more. I’ll even sing for you if you like.” he suggested. 

 

She had never actually heard him sing, but Jaehee swore he was talented, and she was a little bit curious about it. It might not hurt to let him, if he wanted to. 

 

“I guess that’s alright. Ah! But first, you have to tell me what you want though. Work before anything else, right?” she asked. 

 

Zen sighed to himself, nodding slowly. Resting a hand under his chin, he twirled the end of his ponytail in thought. It seemed like he hadn’t given any thought to the matter until this very moment. He was busy, maybe he didn’t have time, but still, shouldn’t he know the kinds of things he liked? 

 

“Are there plans for it to be a costume party? You have to dress up for halloween. It’s a must. So if you don’t have a costume, you should definitely get one, something really cute would be nice.” he said

 

There hadn’t actually been a discussion on costumes, but it wasn’t hard to come up with something, she had something that could be costume-like anyway…

 

“Anything else? It can be anything, I’ve already had catering requests, location, temperature. I can put down whatever you like.” she said. 

 

“Music. I want a lot of good music, but there has to be at least one slow song, okay? I think Jumin will probably demand wine like the trust fund jerk he is, but maybe some local beer would be nice too. Did anyone ask for sushi? I want sushi.” he listed without stopping. 

 

Scribbling away, she shook her hand when he stopped finally, a few other requests she barely picked up on rounding out the list. He had definitely asked for the most out of anyone so far, but at least it sounded like he had the mood of the party in mind as well. Eun set the notepad down, stopping to look out the window. She could afford to stay a little while longer, but she had to be sure she was gone before night had fallen...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapter ran a little long, so before she goes to see Jumin, there will be a bit more on Zen first.


End file.
